Measuring tools in max

[cameroon95]

Hi guys im taking some inventor files into max and i need to be able to measure some of their surfaces. When i use the measure tool in max it just seems to measure the face of the tool. I would like to be able to measure perhaps the radius of a circle hole cut into the tool, how can i do this?

I would like to think there is a tool simiar to the measure tool in google sketchup where I can simply pick point A and point B and then get a distance,is there anything like this in 3ds max?


Thanks for your help

[Cad64]

I think you would be better off taking your measurements in Inventor. Max does have a measuring tool, ("Tools" menu > "Measure Distance"), but it doesn't really work the same as it does in a Cad program. You can measure distances by snapping to grid points or vertices, endpoints, midpoints, etc., but you can't really measure from the center of a hole because there is no center point. Arcs and circles are made up of line segments that simulate a round hole, so there is no radius center point to click on.

Edit: One thing you could do is place a center mark on your holes, in Inventor. Then, when you bring the parts into Max, you will have something to measure from. Be sure to place the center marks on their own layer so you can turn them off when you don't need them.